1. the
Three association marketing pros explain their
approaches to data-driven marketing.
ByRich Rosfelder
32 FORUM MARCH 2015
AskAround
What Are You Measuring?
Jim
Flanigan, CAE
Director of Marketing
Society of Critical
Care Medicine
16,000 members
Julie
Doyle
Director of Marketing
AHA Solutions,
an American Hospital Association
company
5,000 hospital and
43,000 individual members
Karen
Bebart
Vice President, Marketing,
Digital Marketing,
Marketing Research
National Association
of REALTORS®
1 million members

2. FORUM: How do you decide
which data to analyze?
Flanigan: The Society of Critical Care
Medicine uses data to illuminate oppor-
tunities and make better decisions. So,
we see utility in analyzing every available
piece of data, whether it’s online inter-
actions, purchase history or demographic
information.
Doyle: First and foremost, AHA Solu-
tions needs to analyze and report on the
data that demonstrates the value of our
relationship to our solution partners. AHA
Solutions is a division of the American
Hospital Association that awards the AHA
endorsement to the solutions that best
solve AHA members’ most pressing oper-
ational challenges. We promote aware-
ness of these solutions to the field via
a variety of marketing tactics, including
email promotion, webinars, roundtable
discussions and our website.
We also need to perform compara-
tive analyses to make sure our metrics
are at or above industry standards. For
example, our aggregate email delivery
rates were below industry average, and
we were getting a lot of bounces. This
prompted a deep dive into our database
and the adoption of new processes to
improve list hygiene.
Bebart: The National Association of
REALTORS® uses and analyzes many
forms of data as appropriate, depending
on the topic, group or goals. We use
surveys, website and advertising data,
email and many other measurement tools
to guide us. For example, on a recent
series of emails segmented by age group,
we tested and evaluated subject lines
and messages based on the links clicked
within the emails. As a result, we learned
which messages resonate most with each
age group and better understood their
interests and motivations. This informa-
tion continues to guide future communi-
cations.
FORUM: How does data help you
prioritize your marketing goals?
Flanigan: Data drives the prioritization
of the Society’s strategic goals and tracks
our progress. Marketing serves those
goals. By overlaying our sales perfor-
mance in various countries and regions
of the world over readily available exter-
nal data like GDP and health care spend-
ing in those same places, we can see
where to invest our focus for growth.
Data has also helped to make our
investments in marketing tactics more
targeted and less wasteful. We use the
data we have on highly engaged mem-
bers to provide them with a more per-
sonalized and fulfilling experience. We
should also be able to identify members
who would benefit the most from extra
attention, as they’ll be our next genera-
tion of highly engaged members.
Doyle: This year we’re looking at data
after every marketing initiative to eval-
uate its impact, and we’re establishing
benchmarks so we can set goals for
improvement. If I had to define impact
with a single metric, it would be conver-
sions: the number of targets who took
the action we desired. For webinars it’s
registrations and for educational con-
tent offers it’s downloads. It’s important
MARCH 2015 FORUM 33
Digital Extra
Learn more about marketing automation and
analytics in the digital and mobile versions
of FORUM.
ssociation marketing departments are on the hunt
for data. Big data. Small data. Any data, really. But
do we need it all? And what’s to be done with it once
it’s captured?
In this article—the first in a two-part series—association
marketing professionals from organizations large and small
discuss their data solutions.
A

3. theAskAround
to evaluate subject lines and clicks-
throughs, but if people don’t take you up
on your offer you’re not delivering maxi-
mum value.
Bebart: Prioritization is set by NAR’s
business goals and strategic plans as
well as member and industry needs. Our
leaders look at everything from call data
to economic data that drives markets.
The marketing group uses data to help it
select the most effective messages and
channels, to optimize tactics and reach,
and then to measure their effectiveness
again to make further refinements.
FORUM: How do you educate
yourself about data analysis?
Flanigan: Most of the people I know
who chose the marketing profession did
so in part because it didn’t require a
lot of math classes. There’s no doubt,
however, that marketing today requires a
new set of skills. We’ve found that exper-
imentation and learning from mistakes
develops capabilities the fastest. It’s
important to encourage experimentation
or tolerate learning by breaking, which
may be uncomfortable for some nonprof-
its but is necessary to achieve objectives.
The even greater challenge is imag-
ining what can be done with the infor-
mation. For example, if data indicate
that 90 percent of meeting registrants
are likely to come from an identifiable
subgroup of members, the logical choice
is to invest almost all of the promotional
resources in reaching that subgroup and
exclude those unlikely to attend. So,
what new approaches can you take to
that subgroup now that you have more
resources to invest? That idea can fly in
the face of the egalitarian focus of most
membership organizations.
Doyle: You can’t be an effective mar-
keter today without having an under-
standing of and appreciation for how
data can guide your efforts and prove
your worth. I read a lot of marketing
blogs and download whitepapers and
other content to get perspective and
insights from a variety of marketing
automation and analytics firms, such as
HubSpot, Eloqua and Marketo. I also
subscribe to industry resources like Mar-
ketingProfs. Last summer, Harvard Busi-
ness Review had an outstanding issue on
marketing that took an in-depth view of
data and the emerging role of the mar-
keting technologist.
The important thing is collecting the
right information, asking the right ques-
tions and testing a lot.
Bebart: There are marketing team
employees dedicated to digital analytics,
email analysis and marketing research.
They have backgrounds and education
specific to each area with degrees and
certifications in economics, marketing
research and digital analytics. These
staff members keep their skills sharp
by attending seminars and networking
events, and, in turn, educate and sup-
port other NAR groups and divisions
with their expertise. They provide unique
dashboards to analyze visits to web con-
tent. For example, REALTOR® Magazine
online staff members rely on a dashboard
to track and make decisions based on
the popularity of certain topics. My team
also develops and deploys surveys, evalu-
ates the results and suggests recommen-
dations to meet a department’s goals, as
well as consults on email campaigns to
optimize results.
FORUM: What’s one key piece of
advice for an association profes-
sional who wants to incorporate
data analysis into his or her or-
ganization’s marketing strategy?
Flanigan: The data needs to be clean,
and it needs to be centralized. Before we
began deeply analyzing data and adjust-
ing our tactics based on that analysis,
we felt like we were in a good place on
those two fronts. But it has taken almost
constant adjustment to our data man-
agement strategy to put us in the posi-
tion we are in today. In this age of “big
data,” keeping the data clean is almost
a full-time job. If the data is flawed, so
are the analyses and the tactics that flow
from it.
34 FORUM MARCH 2015
AskAround
“ If I had to define impact with a
single metric, it would be conversions:
the number of targets who took the
action we desired. ”

4. EVERYBODY HAS A GARY. Great guy, hardworking, difficult to please. Gary wants the
best of both worlds – a great place to meet and lots of stuff to do when the meeting ends.
That’s no problem in “The Waterpark Capital of the World!®
” where you’ll find thousands
of square feet of meeting space, along with all the rides, slides, scenery, and golf Gary
can handle. He’ll thank you, and so will everyone else. Contact one of our destination
specialists for complimentary planning assistance.
MeetInTheDells.com | sales@wisdells.com | (888) 339-3822, ext. 345

5. theAskAround
In addition, the organization needs to accept
where the data leads it. If decisions are made by
personal fiat instead of being rooted in data, then
it’s hardly worth investing the time and money to
manage the data.
Doyle: Make sure your data analysis is aligned
with your organization’s strategic mission and it
can support it in a quantifiable way. Also, while
it’s important to anticipate how your organiza-
tion’s needs may evolve, don’t buy more tech-
nology than you need. There’s no point spending
money on systems that perform analysis you won’t
use. The market is growing, so shop around.
Bebart: Keep learning. Learn how to draw the
connection between data and business goals, and
to present it to business stakeholders in a way
they can understand. Learn to visualize and inter-
pret data. The field of data and marketing ana-
lytics keeps growing. But if this is new for your
association, start slowly and build on it.
Rich Rosfelder is integrated marketing manager with the CCIM
Institute. He may be reached at rrosfelder@ccim.com.
36 FORUM MARCH 2015
AskAround
How are they measuring?
In the April issue of FORUM, learn
from featured organizations’ information
technology professionals how they
are measuring marketing and
communications efforts and discover
other resources for implementing
data-driven marketing campaigns.
“The important thing is collecting the
right information, asking the right
questions and testing a lot.”